Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
It is impossible to put together a summary which will do justice to this hefty historical. If you are not a fan of meaty, detailed, long works of historical fiction you will find nothing to like here. If, however, you like great stories, descriptions which put you “there” and you enjoy learning while you read – you’ll love this book. I will admit the length (over 980 pages) frightened me a bit. But I am so glad that I didn’t let it deter me. I would have gladly read for another thousand or so. (Good thing the sequel is due out soon!)
Five families are followed in the narrative from just before the start of WWI through to the end of that war and the beginning of Prohibition in the United States. We follow families from Wales, England, America, Russia and Germany to get very different perspectives of the war and its aftermath. I always thought the war started because of an assassination and we entered the war to help our allies. How simplistic my thinking was. This book was enlightening and eye-opening. If you have any interest in this time period I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
